Armutlu Neighborhood Tour

Armutlu Neighborhood Tour
March 2010

One of our workshops on site is included a walking tour of neighborhood in Kucukarmutlu with the participating youth and artist Gul Cagin. Walking around with the guidance of local youth was a wonderful opportunity to walk in to many little stories that known only by them. Walking on the narrow strip of a road, facing Yeni levent and Maslak, our guide stopped us on top of a steep hill looking down below. From this perspective high rise buildings occupied everybody’s visual fields. She explained that kids loved to slide down this spot on pieces of plastic sheets when it snows in winter time and there has been an accident that shook up the community. A boy got badly hurt at the bottom of the hill loosing control because of too much speed. Since than she says, they are not sliding as much anymore. Going to other location, facing Bosphorus, young boy smiled and said," this is the best spot enjoy the water view, there is nothing like this," proudly adding, “I can put a table here and drink my tea.” Then we headed to their another favorite spot facing Narin Sitesi, Etiler. Pointing with her arm to a new constructed mega building on the other side of the highway, young girl said Kucukarmutlu and Narin wasn’t cut off from each other at first. For a long time, this was the spot for the last stop on the bus route and everybody walked to their houses from here. People from Narin looked down upon those of us who had to walk on dirt roads to get to the bus stop and brought mud onto the bus with their muddy feet. Now it is different, we have more buses , and no more dirt roads to walk on. After little history, she joked contensiously, “do they want to touch the clouds? I could never live at that much height.” Circling around to face Baltalimani, they pointed, more gecekondu buildings and commented,“it is so dizzying when from this side, as if there are no roads, everything seems merged in a confetti of colors.”